CHILDRENS THEATRE OF CHARLOTTE INC

Our innovative theatre education initiatives provide comprehensive experiences for students at our facility, at satellite locations, and in our region’s schools. The Creative Drama Series for ages 2-2nd grade provides an introduction to theatre while encouraging social skills, confidence and imaginative play. Worshops for 2nd-12th graders playfully introduce beginning students to theatre and offer advanced students seminars and intensives. School of Theatre Training (SOTT) is a yearlong program for 3rd-12th graders dedicated to studying the skills and techniques of drama, both in acting and musical theatre. Students move through five graduated levels of programming, including OnStage, a unique student-driven performance opportunity. Conservatory students annually perform on the mainstage. Camps for ages 3-18 run June to mid-August. Introduced last year and back by popular demand in 2013-14 is a two-week teen performance camp and corresponding technical theatre training camp.

CTC and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) have programmatically partnered for more than 40 years. Our In-School Residencies and Workshops are designed to bring curriculum to life through movement, drama activities, improvisation and storytelling. Neighborhood Bridges, for example, is a comprehensive arts-in-education writing and literacy residency for elementary students. Founded at The Children’s Theatre Company MN and featured in 13 states, 2013-14 represents our 9th program year. In response to priorities identified in the health curriculum, we produce and tour a powerful and relevant substance abuse prevention play called Liars to every CMS middle school; follow-up workshops are available as funding permits. CMS considers our programming to be some of the most rewarding and impactful for their students.

We are so committed to providing access to programs and removing barriers to participation that community engagement is embedded in the organization’s operating budget. We employ a full-time coordinator to build and nurture relationships with community and family partners through these initiatives:

• Scholarship tickets for our productions to qualifying families and organizations and full and partial class scholarships to qualifying students. In 2012-13, nearly 400 students received class scholarships and nearly 1,700 scholarship tickets were issued.

• No-fee programming in community sites and shelters. Last Season, more than 250 students were served in nine partner sites ranging from homeless shelters and transition homes to community centers in high poverty areas and libraries in challenged neighborhoods. We develop programming according to the needs of the children specific to each site.

• Subsidized school show tickets for all field trips. To ensure programming is accessible to all students, field trip tickets are $6-$7 per person. Last Season, more than 300 schools from Mecklenburg and 15 surrounding counties brought their students to CTC.